Give Hugs

"Perhaps next time you could rant about the teenagers who use drugs. Maybe do a versus on the teens who do it to be 'cool', and those who use it as a coping method and the pros (however few) and cons of each." -Anon

Quite the request you have there, Anon. This'll probably be really biased, but let's see how this goes.

Let's get this out of the way: I do not condone the use of drugs (as in illegal and controlled substances) in any form or fashion. Nor do I condone the abuse of legal drugs. I'm not going to sugar-coat any of that, and feel free to dissent with me. I'll try to explain why in this post.

Let's go with the first group: teens who do it for funsies. Or to be cool. Or whatever those crazy kids are doing these days. If any one reading this happens to fall into this category, let me tell you something: you better get the hell out of that stuff. Seriously, you may be "cool" and "hip" and "radilicious" now, but 10 years down the road, when you're hooked (if you aren't already) on the crap and doing back alley favors for your next fix, it won't be so cool. In fact, people will look down on you. Maybe in pity, maybe in contempt, maybe even as a sort of joke. TO most people, addicts are some of the worst in society. This may stem from the natural infatuation we have with our free will. When you get addicted to something, it's almost like you're giving up a piece of yourself -- a piece of your free will -- to some inanimate object. What shouldn't have power over you does, and as sentient beings, we look at that in a rather negative light.

"What could possibly be the pros of that, Kyle?" Well, honestly, it's hard to say. I can really only come up with one reason: to be socially accepted. I'm pretty sure in my last post, I talked about social acceptance and the tendency to conform, but just in case, I'll talk some more about it.

As a species, we thrive on social interactions. We've evolved to need other humans in our lives, and because of that, we have a tendency to crave others' acceptance.

So, if you're friends or those popular kids are doing drugs, and you think that they'll like you more for doing said drugs, you just might to be accepted. That's a normal tendency in humans. What isn't normal is using a chemical synthetic (sometimes it's natural, but still applies) to change the chemistry of your brain. I could go on and on about all the things that happen in your brain, but that'd be going off on a tangent, and I do that enough as it is.

The possible cons? Check four paragraphs back. I'm pretty sure that covers the negative aspects of wanting to be cool.

Now, to the second group of teens: the kind who do it to cope. This part will probably sound a bit more sympathetic, but don't get me wrong; it's still not cool and really unhealthy. Possibly more-so than doing it to be cool.

We'll mix it up a bit. let's do the pros of this kind first.

Chemicals are a great way to change your mood and brain chemistry. Many drugs have a chemical structure similar to a natural compound called dopamine. The drug molecules bind to the dopamine receptors in your brain (which normally function as a reward system) and make you feel better. Chemically feel better. In text, it sounds like magic.

"A way to instantly change your mood? Sign me up!" I won't. Mostly because I don't have a sign-up sheet. Wait. You shouldn't want to do drugs!

But still, if as a coping method, drugs technically one of the best options. Add to their rather quick acting effects, and you've got yourself happy juice in a needle.

"But, Kyle." You'll say as you always do when you want to ask me a question or contradict me. "How could any of that be bad?" As always, I have an answer for you.

We can all agree that you can get addicted to drugs, right? Right. If you don't, then you probably don't understand how much of anything works. Now, what happens when you become chemically addicted to the junk, AND psychologically addicted to it? You've got one hell of a mess, that's what.

See, you'll become dependent of that stuff whenever you need to feel better. Grandmother die? Didn't get that one job you really needed? Your favorite mechanical pencil ran out of graphite?  No amount of natural mouring and time will heal you; your body can't feel good without that fix. It's like a lazy eye: if something else is doing the work, your body will stop working properly.

Your body is like a bid who can fly a plane. "What's the point of flying with my wings if I can just use that big machine?" Your body will ask to itself. "Nothing," it'll reply, because it's a little insane and talks to itself.

But how about the versus part of the suggestion? Well, I suppose it's all subjective. But, in my humble opinion, the latter group -- the ones who cope -- could actually have a more serious problem. While their condition is infinitely more pitiable, it could lead to more serious and detrimental effects. They begin doing drugs for an unhealthy reason and develop compounds of consequences because of it.

This was a really tough matter for me to comprehend, so what I've said here is a little rough at best. Maybe it's because I've been stressed about a broken computer (the reason why this post is so late), maybe it's because I'm sitting at my desk at 2:30 in the morning. In the dark. In my underwear. Either way, the topic of drug use is something I'll have to come back to at some point and give it a lot of thought.

All that being said, drugs are still a poor way to accomplish whatever goals you aim for. If you're trying to fit in with the cool kids, then screw them! Buy a bag of chips and I'll come bum with you for a while. If you're trying to cope, then go with a much healthier activity. Do some exercise. I can vouch for that one working. You'll feel like a champ afterward. Like you could take on Lance Armstrong. Who did steroids and lost everything. Don't be like Lance Armstrong.  Follow the old adage that's been running around in my head since I began typing this: Don't do drugs, give hugs!